At 8:52 p.m. on the night of July 26, 1952, all radio broadcasts in Argentina were interrupted for an emergency announcement: First Lady Eva Peron – “the Spiritual Leader of the Nation” – was dead of cancer at 33. All activity came to an abrupt halt. Movies stopped playing. Shops closed. Restaurants were emptied of patrons. Argentina went into mourning.
The enormous public display of grief took the government by surprise. Crowds gathered outside the official presidential residence, congesting the streets for ten blocks in any direction. In a panic to be near Eva Peron’s body when it was being moved, eight people were crushed to death in the pressing throngs and 2,000 were treated for injuries at area hospitals. The streets of Buenos Aires were overflowing with tall stacks of flowers laid in remembrance for the people’s beloved Evita. Although she never held an official political office, Eva Peron (1919-1952) was eventually given an official funeral worthy of a head of state. To the poor of Argentina, Senora Evita was a saint.
Before Eva had died, her husband, Argentine President Juan Domingo Peron (1895-1974), had contacted the famed embalmer, Dr. Pedro Ara, whose work was referred to as “the art of death,” to preserve Eva’s body. Dr. Ara’s technique of replacing the corpse’s blood with glycerine, which preserved all organs, created a lifelike appearance. Eva weighed only eighty pounds at death and was severely burned from radiation treatments but Dr. Ara was able to recreate her former beauty and give her an embalmment equal to that of Lenin. It has been suggested that Dr. Ara fell in love with Eva’s body. Plans were made to build a marble monument to Evita’s honor larger than the Statue of Liberty. During the construction her embalmed body lay in state for two years.
Then President Peron was overthrown and the body of Eva Peron stolen. For sixteen years, the whereabouts of Eva’s body remained a mystery. Juan fled to Spain in exile. Finally, in 1971, Eva’s body was discovered in a grave under a false name outside of Rome. It was exhumed and flown to Spain where Juan Peron kept the corpse in an open casket on the dining room table in his villa. Juan was now married to third wife Isabel who combed the corpse’s hair in a daily devotion and, at Juan’s request, was rumored to occasionally lie inside the coffin next to Evita to absorb some of her political magic.
In 1974, Juan returned to power as president of Argentina. Upon his death, wife Isabel succeeded him. Isabel returned Eva’s body to Argentina where it was briefly displayed next to Juan’s body.
Isabel was overthrown in 1976. The new military leaders had Eva Peron’s body safely buried in the Duarte family tomb under three plates of steel in the Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires. The tomb was said to be secure enough to withstand a nuclear attack or a restless corpse.
Now read “Eva Peron’s Restless Corpse Part 2.”
Hi Lisa- As a pre-teen, I lived in Sao Paulo, Brasil from 1975 to 1977 . It was a military government at the time and we were always being cautioned as to what to speak about. I remember my parents having friends from Argentina at the time, coming to Brasil for a visit and talking to them about Eva. My mother told me they could not safely talk about her in Argentina. Your article explains why to me.
Jennifer
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Hi, Jennifer,
Fascinating that you lived in Brazil growing up. My mother has read a great deal about Eva and says that she was sadistic and cruel and ordered tortures. Others saw her good works and thought her a saint. Her opposition didn’t underestimate her power with the masses – even after death. That’s why her body was stolen and hidden after Peron’s overthrow. The new gov’t feared the demonstration of the masses worshipping her corpse would drain them of power – so they removed her. Nowadays, she is still revered and her body considered almost a holy relic by some.
Thanks for coming to my site. Keep coming back. Why don’t you write something on your blog about your time in Brasil and notify me. I’m eager to learn more about what it was like in an undemocratic state.
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hi lisa,
i m from india n hav been hearin quiet a lot about eva…can u plz help me with further information on her.about her life previous to meetin peron and about the dissapearence of her corpse.and why is not permitted in argentina to speak about the peron’s…i would b veery delightful if u’d give me info bout evita….
kshanottaraa
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Hello, Kshanottaraa,
Visit the wikipedia article on Eva Peron. At the end of the article, reference materials and links are listed that should provide you with the answers to these questions. Also, there are some good youtube documentary videos.
I have not read anywhere that one is not permitted to speak of the Perons in Argentina. I believe the Peronistas are a viable political force still.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eva_Per%C3%B3n
Thanks for visiting LIsa’s History Room and keep coming back.
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Hello, my name is Ana and I am from Argentina. Only I am 16 years old, but I know a lot about the history of my country, and this woman Evita, is a model to continuing for my. Always in clear what the ” descamisados ” need, always helping and giving a hand. she could had her mistakes, she was human. But she was the most important and incredible woman that this country had has. A holy one.
When Peron was in Spain, in Argentine the military men were in the power. They prohibited the word ” peron, Eve, Peronism ” and everything what tape-worm relation. For 17 years the people could not speak about the two persons most important of the history, who gave everything for the workers. For the first time with the Peronism, rights were given to the poor people, they were treat like people, not like animals. And this it is the reason for which, the Peronism and, mas eva who I work day and night for his(her,your) “descamisados” were the most importantly movement of the argentinian history.
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Ana, thank you for sharing your experience with us.
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[…] https://lisawallerrogers.wordpress.com/2009/02/20/eva-perons-corpse/ […]
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I was wondering if it is possible to subscribe to your rss feed through email.
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Yes, go to my home page and look in the top of the right sidebar. I am so honored!
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Hello,When I was 14 years old in 1952 I remember hearing of the death of the wife of the president of Argentina.The name EVA stuck in my mind all these years.As of late,I have been reading everything that I can find on this women.My opinion is-she was ARGINTINA,is ARGINTINA,and will always be ARGINTINA. VIVA EVITA
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You are one of many who feel this way. Thanks for visiting and keep coming back.
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Hi Lisa, I am from Argentina. To your brilliant description on our dear Eva, only it him wanted to add that at present the Peronism is a force of political thought. Nowadays the concepts of the Gral Juan Domingo Perón continue being applied. Our country, after Perón’s death it was, invaded by a military dictatorship that emptied the condition, supported by the catholic church and the rural company (high peasantry).This military dictatorship began in 1976 kidnapping, torturing and murdering more than 30.000 persons for thinking differently, a real holocaust.
Thank you in your time.
Regards, from Argentina.
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Alejandro, thank you for adding these comments. Please come back to Lisa’s History Room.
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Few things:
The announcement of Eva’s death was at 20:25 (8:25) PM – not 8:52.
Her body was buried in Milan, Italy for years before finally being laid to rest in her family tomb in Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires.
She received a funeral with military honors because she was declared “Spiritual Leader of the Nation”.
The A&E Biography does not provide an accurate portrayal of the life of Evita. It is extremely biased, conducted with little to no research and was put together hastily to coincide with the movie release starring Madonna.
Anyone can learn more about the REAL Eva Perón by visiting my YouTube channel:
http://youtube.com/therealevaperon.
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Joey, thanks for your contribution.
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Hi Lisa,
Love the story and thank you for helping me find out why her body dissapear after 17 years. I was in my Malibu High School play “Evita” and one of our students asked me why hr body dissapeared for 17 years. My answer was I don’t know but I will find out. Thank you for helpng me and my student to undertand.
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Siugen, Thanks for visiting LIsa’s History Room and tell your friends about it.
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Hi, Lisa, my name is Victoria. I’m 13, and I’m glad to say that I’ve taken such a big interest in history as have you and see it more of as an exciting subject than dull and boring. I have been learning about Evita Peron in my Spanish class and decided to research more of her and came across your blog. I will definitely be coming back to learn more about historical figures you write about. Thank you for making it so easy to learn about the past, and like my history teacher says, “If you dont learn about the past, you will make the same mistakes that happened in the past in the future.”
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Victoria, welcome. Keep coming back and tell your school friends about Lisa’s History Room. Lots of good stuff here to fill biography papers.
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Hi Lisa, I remember some years ago, a UK TV channel made a documentary about her corpse. I will never forget it as long as I live! The missing 16 years were not missing, an Argentinian general was the custodian of the corpse, he kept it in a room next to his office, and his staff testified that he would spend hours upon hours in with the corpse, it was indicated that he had a very un-natural relationship with the body! If you get my drift, viewers of that docu would have been left in no doubt as to his relationship with her corpse.
Given the nature of these revelations, I have over the years Googled it a few times, but I have so far found nothing on the net about it.
Sandra Barr
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A woman can be like a drug to a man! Evita Peron seems to have had it all. Even in death, she was a star! Her death and burial were like an opera with all the drama, theatre and mystery. Add Latin passion, intriegue and whoo, Evita had it all! No wonder they made a B’way play in her name. By the way, I visited her grave at Recoleta Cemetery, Buenos Aires, paid my respects and walked away wondering…
Vincent Tomeo
USA
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Hello, I am Brazilian born and have lived in the USA for over 15 years which is about half of my life. The reason I mentioned the time I have lived in the US and Brazil is to give you a background on why I can say with conviction – have lived in both cultures Latin and Anglo – only true Latins (born and raised in a Latin country) are truly capable to fully understand the people of South America and what the life and death of Eva Peron means to its people.
While to the rest of the world she may be an iconic figure, a money maker for broadway and pop stars alike fascinated with the story of a poor girl who comes to the big city, becomes an artist, gets married to a powerful man, helps her people and dies young, beautiful, powerful and rich in such a tragic way. Certainly that sounds like Hollywood and the world could not be more fascinated with her story that continues after her death with the mystery surrounding her resting place.
Now, to those that can sympathise with her way of life she embodies a part of our own story. Perhaps she may have been considered to be a saint by some, feared by others but my latin gut feeling says the true reason for all the fascination surrounding her is very simple – above all she was VERY HUMAN. She lived her short life to its fullest in every aspect of it. Yes, she was a true humanitarian but she also enjoyed life, luxury, power, fame, money, and she died beautiful and young at the top of her carrer as a politician. All considered she lived, she didn’t merely exist thus she will never die and isn’t that what we all aim to be immortals in some shape or form?
Coincidently, I just returned from Buenos Aires. I went to my home town in Brazil with my American Born husband to get married and then flew to Buenos Aires for our honeymoon. Have traveled together extensively throughout the years this is the first time we visited a cemetery in one of our trips. That was moving but not quiet as moving as the Evita Peron Museum which I highly recommend all of you visit on your next trip to beautiful, fascinating and certainly romantic Buenos Aires. As someone who appreciates the fine things in life and that most certainly includes high fashion I spent quiet a bit of time studying her personal objects. I believe you can find the essence of someone on their belongings as their energy live on. I will never forget looking at her purse mirror and having my husband point out … I was looking at her mirror and seeing myself in it as she would have done. That was indeed a rather fascinating experience and I felt a very powerful energy from it just as he pointed out the unique position I found myself at that moment. The reflection was yet of another blonde, latin woman in her mid 30s and if I may add a feisty one too. There, walking through those rooms filled with her furniture, her personal belongings, pictures, movies telling the story of her life I can say I got in touch with the real Evita Peron.
The last room showcases what happened to her body, where and when it was taken but also what was done with it. That was news to me up to then and I must say I left there wondering two things: is her body really buried at the Recoleta Cemetery and was she possibly murdered? After being exposed what is shown in that last room one is left wondering what if they…
Thank you for reading. May the few who rise to power and are for the mass who suffers the most always live in the hearts of those of us who can still serve the cause of loving and promoting justice to all.
Raquel
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Anyone interested in learning more, please visit and like my current Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TheRealEvaPeron. TheRealEvaPeron was inspired by all of the myths (mostly the black myth) about such a wonderful person who achieved so much for her people and contributed to not just Argentina, but the rest of the world. We are talking about her today yet she entered immortality at 8:25PM on 26 July, 1952. ¡VIVA EVITA!
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